Bears in Hyder

August 16, 2024 – Friday – Day 54

Today was a day of driving.  We traveled for 6-7 hours through British Columbia until we reached Stewart, BC which is on the western US border.  We stopped in Stewart to use the bathroom and access the internet and then we continued about 4 miles across the US/Canada border to Hyder, Alaska.  

Hyder can only be accessed by boat or by car through Canada.  It is almost a ghost town with only a few businesses and a few families.  However, it is famous for view bears at the Fish Creek Wildlife Area.  The salmon spawn in Fish Creek from the end of July through September and the Forest Service has built a long-elevated boardwalk that parallels the creek.  You must buy a ticket, but you can spend the day on the boardwalk looking for bears.

While driving between Stewart and Hyder we saw a black bear with a cub cross the road, but we weren’t quick enough to get a picture.  Next we found a place to spend the night so we could quickly be at the bear viewing area early in the morning.

August 17, 2024 – Saturday – Day 55

We left camp for the bear viewing area at 5:30 am.  You are not allowed to enter the boardwalk until 6 am, but we wanted to get a close parking spot.  There were not as many people as we expected, but around 6:30 am, Eva saw the first bear of the day.  It was a large male grizzly that came from the forest, under the boardwalk and then in the river with the salmon.

We watched the bear wander through the creek catching fish, and then taking the fish to the bank to eat.  The bear was there for 30-45 minutes before it continued up the creek out of our sight.  After taking pictures and videos we went back to the van as Eva was not feeling well.  

After resting in the van we drove back into Canada for a pancake breakfast at the Stewart community park.  It was their community day celebration and they have several activities planned for the new few days.

We were back on the road at 11 am and drove back to highway heading south.  It took us the rest of the day to reach Smithers, BC where we planned to spend the night.